Queen Elizabeth death: Who inherits the Queen's jewels?

Queen Elizabeth II arrives at a state dinner at Bellevue Palace in Berlin, June 24, 2015. Photo / AP

Over the past week, the Royal family have been adding touching tributes to Queen Elizabeth II to their mourning outfits, in the form of sentimental jewels once owned by the late monarch. At Sandringham yesterday, the Princess of Wales wore pearl and diamond earrings she was granted on long-term loan.

At the Westminster Abbey service on Wednesday, the Duchess of Sussex wore diamond and pearl studs – a gift from the Queen in 2018. On Tuesday evening, the Queen Consort chose a turquoise and diamond shamrock brooch that belonged to her late mother-in law, as she arrived at Buckingham Palace ahead of the Queen's coffin returning to her London base for the final time.

Many of Queen Elizabeth II's most cherished jewels belonged to Queen Mary, who bequeathed the majority of her collection to her eldest granddaughter. Her heirlooms include the Cullinan III and IV, the third and fourth-largest cuts from the Cullinan diamond, set in a brooch the late Queen wittily referred to as "Granny's Chips".

Many of Queen Elizabeth II's most cherished jewels belonged to her grandmother, Queen Mary. Photo / Library of Congress

The royal jewellery collection is separate from the Crown Jewels, which are held in trust by the monarch for the nation and are only worn at coronations and during the State Opening of Parliament. The late monarch's collection comprises historic inherited jewels, gifts, and a small number of pieces commissioned during her reign.

Royal wills are kept private, so there is no knowing who exactly will inherit which personal pieces. But it's likely that in time we'll see family members wearing jewellery that belonged to Her Majesty, having been bequeathed these astonishing jewels.

King Charles and Queen Camilla

The majority of the late Queen's jewellery will be left to her successor. The collection comprises heirlooms owned by the Crown, such as the diamond diadem the Queen wore to her 1953 Coronation and to all State Openings, which will likely be altered for Charles. The collection also includes the largest of the Cullinan diamonds as well as small sentimental pieces such as historic mourning jewellery.

When Camilla married the then-Prince Charles, the Queen granted her long-term loan of one of the most magnificent tiaras in the royal collection. The diamond and platinum "honeycomb" tiara was made by Boucheron in 1921 for Dame Margaret Greville, a close friend of Queen Mary, who bequeathed around 60 pieces to the Queen Mother. When the Queen Mother died, it was passed onto the Queen, who never publicly wore it. It's now associated with the Queen Consort, who has worn it for almost every official banquet as a member of the Royal family, and it will continue to be a cornerstone of her regal style.

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As well as the tiara, the Queen Consort has worn several pieces the Queen inherited from her own mother. Her engagement ring is an heirloom the Queen Mother was given by King George VI when Elizabeth was born in 1926.

Catherine, Princess of Wales

The Queen regularly allowed her grandson's wife access to the royal jewellery vaults. The then-Duchess of Cambridge had several long-term loans, ranging from the elegant pearl and diamond earrings the Queen wore at her 1977 Silver Jubilee celebrations, to the more extravagant antique diamond frame earrings, both of which Princess Catherine has worn since 2016.

The Princess of Wales wears pearl and diamond earrings she was granted on long-term loan at the Queen's state funeral. Photo / AP

For diplomatic receptions, Princess Catherine often wears the Cambridge Lover's Knot tiara, a pearl and diamond design she first borrowed in 2015. Created for Queen Mary in 1914, it was bequeathed to her granddaughter, who later gave it to Diana, Princess of Wales, as a wedding gift. Diana reportedly said it was so heavy that it gave her headaches, but Princess Catherine has made it a signature piece. After Diana's death, the tiara returned to the Queen's collection; it's likely to be inherited by King Charles who will continue to loan it to Princess Catherine.

One of Princess Catherine's most extravagant borrowed jewels was the Nizam of Hyderabad necklace made by Cartier in 1935. As a wedding gift, the Nizam invited Princess Elizabeth to select anything she liked from Cartier, and this necklace set with 300 diamonds was a dazzling choice. Worn by the Queen in her official accession portrait in 1952, the necklace appeared around the neck of the then-Duchess of Cambridge at the National Portrait Gallery Gala in 2014, and again at the annual diplomatic reception in 2019.

Princess Catherine has also borrowed several brooches. Most poignantly, as the late Queen's coffin arrived at Westminster Hall on Wednesday afternoon, she paid tribute to the late monarch by wearing Queen Elizabeth's diamond and pearl leaf brooch. Featuring three pearls atop diamond-set leaves, the brooch was worn by the Queen at a concert in Seoul on her 73rd birthday in 1999.

Anne, Princess Royal

Although she's not usually associated with flashy jewellery, the Princess Royal has worn some remarkable pieces from her mother's collection, including the Garrard Diamond Fringe Tiara. Made for Queen Mary using diamonds taken from a necklace she had been given by Queen Victoria, after Queen Mary's death it was passed on to the Queen Mother, who lent it to her daughter for her wedding day in 1947. Twenty-six years later, when Princess Anne married Captain Mark Phillips, the Queen followed suit.

Famously, the tiara snapped as it was being placed on Princess Elizabeth's head on the day of the wedding and had to be rushed to the Garrard workshop to be repaired. The tiara entered the spotlight again in 2020 when Princess Beatrice borrowed it for her intimate wedding in Windsor to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi.

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Like her mother, Princess Anne admires the work of celebrated British jeweller Andrew Grima. One of the Queen's most treasured pieces was a Grima gold, diamond and ruby scarab brooch, gifted to her by her husband in 1966; the year that Prince Philip awarded Grima the Duke of Edinburgh's Prize for Elegant Design.

Around the same time, Princess Anne received a pair of pearl, gold and diamond earrings by the jewellery designer. And again like her mother, who wore her Grima brooch regularly for more than half a century, the earrings are a favourite of the Princess Royal. She has worn them for countless special occasions, including her own and her daughter's weddings. Given their shared love of the designer, it would come as no surprise to see Princess Anne wearing her mother's Grima brooch: a reminder of her parents' seven-decade-long marriage.

Sophie, Countess of Wessex

Prince Edward's wife also enjoys the treasures found within the royal vaults. The diamond tiara she wore on her wedding day in 1999 came from Queen Elizabeth's private collection; some speculate that it was created using sections of Queen Victoria's Regal Circlet. A fan of aquamarine jewellery, she borrowed her late mother-in-law's Aquamarine Ribbon tiara on a handful of occasions. The distinctive, upright tiara features five aquamarines surrounded by scrolling diamond-set ribbons.

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The Countess has also worn the diamond King Faisal necklace, made by Harry Winston and presented as a gift to Queen Elizabeth from King Faisal of Saudi Arabia in 1967. Another piece that the Queen lent to Princess Diana, the Countess wore the necklace for a gala in Luxembourg in 2012.